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Loved ones whose relatives buried in graves vulnerable to coastal erosion argue that a lack of decision over how to tackle the problem is causing them avoidable anguish concerning the eternal homes of their loved ones.

An Impending Danger to Ancient Churchyards

The council have singled out three church graveyards in the villages of Happisburgh, Mundesley, and Trimingham as being at risk of being engulfed by the ocean in the next few generations.

A newly published study on the situation sets out a range of options, from taking no action to exhuming remains and relocating them in safer sites. Authorities say it is for the community to determine how to move forward.

“At the moment we’re in a state of uncertainty. It causes me distress. They wanted this to serve as their final resting place, but it isn’t going to be because of the encroaching sea.”

Projections suggest at least a portion of one graveyard could fall into the waves in the next 80 years, but some residents fear it will happen far earlier. “I think it’s got less than 20 years, if you look at what’s happened in the last 30 years,” one said.

Haunted by the Past

One resident remembered a childhood visit to the nearby settlement of Eccles, which has almost entirely vanished into the sea, including its church and graveyard.

“It was possible to see people’s bones,” she said. “Certain people hold this idealized notion that the deceased will just get carried away to the ocean. They won’t. Individuals will take bones as mementos and go grave robbing in search of treasures. It’s completely undignified.”

“I’m worried that the same thing that befell at Eccles will occur at Happisburgh and there’ll be bones on the shore. I’d be disgusted by that.”

A Paratrooper's Resting Place in Peril

Along the coast is situated the grave of a former paratrooper who died while serving overseas. His mother said she lost sleep after learning her child's final plot might one day be moved.

“It does trouble me to think this won’t be his permanent resting place,” she said. “To our family it’s an significant site to visit.”

In her view, new burials should stop but says it is premature to disturb existing graves. “What I would choose for now is to take no action and watch carefully, but an early decision must be made when a tipping point has been attained.”

Searching for Answers and Certainty

The lack of agreement over when and how to tackle the problem has resulted in bereaved families feeling exasperated and worried.

Several families are calling for additional sea defences to delay the inevitable erosion and to permit funerals to proceed for now. Others contend the moment for moving graves is approaching.

“It is very emotional,” said one relative. “The official study was really good, but now there’s confusion about how it is implemented. And everybody is avoiding responsibility over who is responsible.”

A coastal manager confirmed the burial sites were owned and managed of the church authorities. “In the end it is down to them to decide the direction to take. We are here to help support them through that journey with residents.”

He added there was ample time to weigh all the options. “This concerns decades before it begins getting lost.”

“Currently, there exists no unified opinion on what should happen yet. It requires good local conversations to discover the appropriate answers for each village.”

The possibility of losing the churches and graveyards was described as one of “immense sorrow for the local community,” but faith leaders also referenced a belief in resurrection, providing a theological perspective on the physical disappearance of hallowed earth.